09.09.2025
Successful end of the Alto Adige Wine Summit 2025
„Its size, level of international participation and organisation are impressive”
The Alto Adige Wine Summit 2025, the most important media event in the Alto Adige wine world, ended yesterday. For the first time this year, the summit was extended by two days. While the first traditional part of the event once again introduced the wine region Alto Adige to wine journalists and opinion leaders from all over the world, the second part was dedicated to sommeliers, specialist wine merchants and representatives of the catering trade.
Every two years, the Consorzio Alto Adige Wines, in close collaboration with IDM Alto Adige, organises the Alto Adige Wine Summit to inspire international trade media and opinion leaders from the most important export markets in Europe, North America and Asia for the Alto Adige wine industry and culture. This year saw the event, the largest of its kind, take place for the fifth time.
From Thursday to Saturday, 82 media representatives from thirteen countries were able to take a look behind the scenes of the Alto Adige wine world, familiarise themselves with the various growing regions and their special features, exchange ideas with winegrowers and experience the diversity of Alto Adige wine production - not least at a large-scale tasting in the NOI Techpark in Bolzano, where no fewer than 365 wines from 98 Alto Adige producers were available to try.
Smooth running of the event, positive response
"Organising the Wine Summit is an enormous effort for us, i.e. for the Consorzio Alto Adige Wines and IDM Alto Adige", Andreas Kofler, President of the Consortium said, "so we are of course all the more pleased when the event runs as smoothly as this year and when the feedback from the participants is so positive".
Among the one who praised the good organisation of the event was Kersten Wetenkamp, editor of the gourmet magazine “Der Feinschmecker”. “It is rather impressive to gain an in-depth view of Alto Adige wines,”, Wetenkamp said. He also thought the size of the event was amazing. “And I had not expected this level of international participation. To think that even people from Asia and Canada come to attend the summit - it’s fantastic!”
Nicola Grolla from the editorial board of “Il Gusto” of the Italian daily newspaper “La Repubblica” believes the Alto Adige Wine Summit is primiarily an opportunity to explore a whole wine producing country, in particular one as diverse and varied as Alto Adige. “And all of this at leisure and in the important depths”, Grolla commented.
Véronique Rivest, several times voted best sommelier in Canada and renowned wine journalist from Québec, stressed that she was able to truly get to know the wine region Alto Adige. In particular, she valued the exchange with the local wine growers: “It was wonderful. They are so proud of their country, of what they do and of their uniqueness”. Our consumers are particularly looking for just this authenticity”, Rivest commented.
So it seems that the aim of the Alto Adige Wine Summit has been successfully achieved: to offer participants an experience that lingers and thus runs counter to the usual ever-faster pace of life. "Wine also swims against the tide of the times, it is an almost rebellious product: one that not only rebels against the dictates of the times, but also against digitalisation and mechanisation," Eduard Bernhart, Director of the Consorzio Alto Adige Wines, said at the opening event of the summit. If we constantly speed everything up, we may never be left behind, but we will miss out on life. “Let the wine be a lesson to us. It does not need time, it uses it”, Bernhart concluded.
Premiere for sommeliers and specialist retailers
The first part of the Alto Adige Wine Summit, the one aimed at wine journalists and influencers, is already a tradition and ended on Saturday with a celebration at Castel Mareccio. The second part on Sunday and Monday, however, celebrated its premiere. "Our aim was to expand the summit to a new target audience and involve retailers more closely," Andreas Kofler explained.
For the first time, an exclusive programme for sommeliers, specialist wine merchants and representatives of the catering trade from Alto Adige and other regions of Italy was therefore put together for the two additional days. "The aim of this new part of our summit was to familiarise them with our wine producing country, our philosophy and our products, and here too we can be pleased with a positive response," the President of the Consorzio Alto Adige Wines said.
"I believe that the new second part of the summit represents an important step towards the consistent development of the most important event in our programme: in terms of content, strategy and reach," Andreas Kofler concluded.
„Its size, level of international participation and organisation are impressive”
The Alto Adige Wine Summit 2025, the most important media event in the Alto Adige wine world, ended yesterday. For the first time this year, the summit was extended by two days. While the first traditional part of the event once again introduced the wine region Alto Adige to wine journalists and opinion leaders from all over the world, the second part was dedicated to sommeliers, specialist wine merchants and representatives of the catering trade.
Every two years, the Consorzio Alto Adige Wines, in close collaboration with IDM Alto Adige, organises the Alto Adige Wine Summit to inspire international trade media and opinion leaders from the most important export markets in Europe, North America and Asia for the Alto Adige wine industry and culture. This year saw the event, the largest of its kind, take place for the fifth time.
From Thursday to Saturday, 82 media representatives from thirteen countries were able to take a look behind the scenes of the Alto Adige wine world, familiarise themselves with the various growing regions and their special features, exchange ideas with winegrowers and experience the diversity of Alto Adige wine production - not least at a large-scale tasting in the NOI Techpark in Bolzano, where no fewer than 365 wines from 98 Alto Adige producers were available to try.
Smooth running of the event, positive response
"Organising the Wine Summit is an enormous effort for us, i.e. for the Consorzio Alto Adige Wines and IDM Alto Adige", Andreas Kofler, President of the Consortium said, "so we are of course all the more pleased when the event runs as smoothly as this year and when the feedback from the participants is so positive".
Among the one who praised the good organisation of the event was Kersten Wetenkamp, editor of the gourmet magazine “Der Feinschmecker”. “It is rather impressive to gain an in-depth view of Alto Adige wines,”, Wetenkamp said. He also thought the size of the event was amazing. “And I had not expected this level of international participation. To think that even people from Asia and Canada come to attend the summit - it’s fantastic!”
Nicola Grolla from the editorial board of “Il Gusto” of the Italian daily newspaper “La Repubblica” believes the Alto Adige Wine Summit is primiarily an opportunity to explore a whole wine producing country, in particular one as diverse and varied as Alto Adige. “And all of this at leisure and in the important depths”, Grolla commented.
Véronique Rivest, several times voted best sommelier in Canada and renowned wine journalist from Québec, stressed that she was able to truly get to know the wine region Alto Adige. In particular, she valued the exchange with the local wine growers: “It was wonderful. They are so proud of their country, of what they do and of their uniqueness”. Our consumers are particularly looking for just this authenticity”, Rivest commented.
So it seems that the aim of the Alto Adige Wine Summit has been successfully achieved: to offer participants an experience that lingers and thus runs counter to the usual ever-faster pace of life. "Wine also swims against the tide of the times, it is an almost rebellious product: one that not only rebels against the dictates of the times, but also against digitalisation and mechanisation," Eduard Bernhart, Director of the Consorzio Alto Adige Wines, said at the opening event of the summit. If we constantly speed everything up, we may never be left behind, but we will miss out on life. “Let the wine be a lesson to us. It does not need time, it uses it”, Bernhart concluded.
Premiere for sommeliers and specialist retailers
The first part of the Alto Adige Wine Summit, the one aimed at wine journalists and influencers, is already a tradition and ended on Saturday with a celebration at Castel Mareccio. The second part on Sunday and Monday, however, celebrated its premiere. "Our aim was to expand the summit to a new target audience and involve retailers more closely," Andreas Kofler explained.
For the first time, an exclusive programme for sommeliers, specialist wine merchants and representatives of the catering trade from Alto Adige and other regions of Italy was therefore put together for the two additional days. "The aim of this new part of our summit was to familiarise them with our wine producing country, our philosophy and our products, and here too we can be pleased with a positive response," the President of the Consorzio Alto Adige Wines said.
"I believe that the new second part of the summit represents an important step towards the consistent development of the most important event in our programme: in terms of content, strategy and reach," Andreas Kofler concluded.
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